If you’ve ever watched an adult family member struggle to get help for attention challenges—only to face months-long waitlists and dismissive responses—you know how frustrating the system can be. That frustration isn’t imagined, and you’re not overreacting. British Columbia has recognized this gap and is taking concrete steps to equip front-line healthcare providers with the skills to help adults who are developing their attention regulation abilities.
UBC Launches Three-Part Learning Program
The University of British Columbia’s Continuing Professional Development division announced “Adult ADHD: a UBC CPD Learning Journey,” a comprehensive training program designed to equip primary care providers with practical skills to assess and support adults developing attention regulation. The initiative directly addresses the documented gap in front-line care capacity across British Columbia.
The program uses a three-part format: a pre-course podcast launching January 30, 2026, featuring Dr. Chris Morrow and Dr. Elisabeth Baerg Hall discussing attention challenges across life transitions; a virtual conference on March 7 providing evidence-informed approaches; and three online modules in Spring 2026 that teach practical application of the New Pathways BC Tool developed in collaboration with the North Shore Division of Family Practice.
BC is training primary care providers to support adults with attention challenges. The goal: faster access and a focus-building approach. A model worth watching.
Addressing the Primary Care Skills Gap
Long psychiatric waitlists have left many BC adults without timely support for attention challenges. Primary care providers—often the first point of contact—have historically lacked the specific training to assess and support uncomplicated attention regulation needs. This program targets that skills gap directly, potentially expanding assessment and support capacity throughout the province.
Lindsay Callan, the Conference Director, noted the consistent demand: “We frequently read ‘more on ADHD!’ from learners in our feedback forms.” This feedback-driven approach reflects a healthcare system responding to both provider and patient needs. Research consistently shows that attention and focus skills remain highly trainable throughout life, making timely identification and support critical for adults seeking to strengthen these abilities.
We frequently read ‘more on ADHD!’ from learners in our feedback forms.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
What This Means for Families
For parents who have navigated attention challenges with their children, this development carries particular significance. Many adults discover their own attention patterns while supporting their children through similar experiences. Expanded primary care capacity means faster access to professional guidance for the whole family.
Kate Campbell, Senior Manager of Creative Learning at UBC CPD, emphasized the program’s thoughtful design: “By drawing on instructional design expertise, we’ve created a unique experience bringing these elements together intentionally.” The combination of podcast, conference, and hands-on module training gives healthcare providers multiple entry points and reinforcement opportunities. For families seeking support, this means providers who understand attention as a skill that can be strengthened—not simply a condition to be managed. Programs like Focus Foundations demonstrate how targeted training builds attention capabilities in both children and adults.
Key takeaways
- UBC launches three-part training program: British Columbia is expanding primary care capacity to support adults developing attention regulation through a new podcast, conference, and module series.
- Front-line providers gain practical tools: The New Pathways BC Tool gives healthcare workers standardized methods to assess and support adults with uncomplicated attention needs.
- Faster access for families: Expanded primary care training means reduced wait times and more providers who understand attention as a trainable skill.
A Model for Broader Application
British Columbia’s approach—training primary care providers to handle uncomplicated cases—could serve as a model for other provinces facing similar psychiatric waitlist challenges. By building capacity at the front line, the system can reserve specialist resources for more complex situations while ensuring timely support for those who need straightforward guidance.
The program’s use of the New Pathways BC Tool provides standardized assessment and support pathways, which could facilitate data collection and program evaluation. As healthcare systems increasingly recognize that attention regulation is a developmental skill rather than a fixed limitation, training approaches like this one help shift provider perspectives from deficit management to skill building. Watch for enrollment announcements and consider whether your family’s healthcare providers might benefit from this training opportunity.
By drawing on instructional design expertise, we’ve created a unique experience bringing these elements together intentionally.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Every adult struggling with attention regulation deserves access to providers who understand that focus is a skill that can be strengthened—not a permanent limitation to accept. The system that forces people to wait months for specialist appointments while primary care providers lack the tools to help has failed too many families. British Columbia’s new training initiative represents a shift toward building capacity where people actually seek care first. If you’re ready to stop waiting for a system that wasn’t designed with your family in mind, the Learning Success All Access Program offers a free trial that includes a personalized Action Plan—and you keep that plan even if you decide it’s not the right fit.
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Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
References
- UBC Continuing Professional Development - Transforming Adult ADHD in Primary Care
